The Ultimate Cusco, Peru Travel Guide To Transform Your Trip

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This Cusco Peru Travel Guide will give you all the information you need to make the most out of your trip!

Cusco, Peru- the most famous place in Peru, and for good reason! Cusco is a stunning city situated high in the Andes Mountains.

It boasts a vibrant culture, amazing food, kind-hearted people and is a perfect jumping off spot for all of the many adventures and treks you can do in the Peruvian Andes.

This blog post will go over everything you need to know before booking your flight to Cusco, Peru!

Disclaimer: This blog post features affiliate links. This means I get a small commission if you make a purchase (at no extra cost to you :))!

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Cusco, Peru Travel Guide – FAQ

Quick Facts

Language: Spanish

Currency: Soles- 1 Sole equals roughly .25 cents USD

Continent: South America

Is Cusco Worth Visiting?

Absolutely 100% YES

Cusco is a city rich with history, beautiful architecture, wonderful people, spectacular food and so much to do that you could be here for weeks and not get bored.

While it is a bit of a touristy city- I believe that after a couple of days here you will fall in love with the cute alleyways, stunning squares, tiny shops and energy of Cusco.

Why Is Cusco Famous?

Cusco, Peru was once the capital city of the Inca Empire and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Western Hemisphere (Brittanica)

It has held onto many impressive ruins and gorgeous stone architecture and in 1983 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Nowadays, it is thought to be the jumping off spot for exploring Machu Picchu and is the main tourist destination in the country of Peru. Many people who visit Peru plan their trip entirely around Cusco!

Cusco Peru Travel Guide:

When Should You Go To Cusco?

June- Mid September

Cusco, Peru Weather

There are essentially two seasons in Cusco- rainy season and dry season.

Dry season lasts from April to October and is the best time of year to visit this region of Peru. June through mid-September tends to be the warmest and best for the treks in the region.

I visited Cusco from mid June to the end of June and we got lovely weather.

While it wasn’t blazing hot it was nice enough to be walking around in a sundress some days and jeans and a tank top on others. It was sunny almost every day and we got wonderful weather on our treks and day trips outside of the city.

Rainy Season lasts from November to April and brings with it more rain and extreme weather. While the weather isn’t constantly rainy like it may sound- it does shift quite a lot and can vary hugely in a given week.

This makes it difficult to plan treks and does bring snow to the mountains which can close roads and make treks undo able.

Cusco, Peru Location

Cusco is located high in the Andes Mountains in the valley of the Huatanay River in the south east Andean Mountain range in South America. (discover-Peru)

Cusco Elevation

Cusco, Peru sits at an elevation of 11,152 feet or 3,399 meters above sea level.

This is incredibly high up compared to most cities in the world. You will have to make sure to plan ahead to make sure you adjust properly to the elevation.

Coming from sea level I know I had a bit of a hard time adjusting to the sudden lack of oxygen in the air, but with the proper preparation and knowledge of how to cope with it, you can easily adjust to the new altitude.

Check Out My Entire 3 Weeks In Peru Itinerary!

Who Would Enjoy Traveling To Cusco?

History Buffs, Adventure Fiends, Food lovers, Spiritual Seekers and so many more!

History buffs will marvel at the stone architecture, and Incan ruins.

Food lovers will enjoy running around the city trying all of the different cuisine at super affordable prices.

Adventurers will be stoked on the huge selection of treks and climbs in the region.

Yogis and Spiritual seekers will be fascinated by the retreats and plant medicine options available in the area.

Cusco, Peru is truly a mecca for so many different things that I believe anyone can find something to be excited about in this city.

READ MORE: Check Out these 15 Unique Things To Do In Cusco, Peru

Check Out My Peru Wall Art!

How Many Days Do You Need In Cusco?

It ranges! From 3 days-2 weeks or even longer!

This is a terribly difficult question to answer- and it really depends on you!

However much time you have I am sure you could fill it with amazing things to do in Cusco, Peru.

How Many Days Do You Need For Cusco and Machu Picchu?

If you are only looking to come to Cusco for Machu Picchu then I would say 3 days is the minimum amount of time you should be here. This allows your body to adjust to the altitude and gives you a solid amount of time to explore all of the top spots in the city.

For those who have more time to spare I would suggest 2 weeks! When I went to Peru we basically treated Cusco as our home base- we would head out to Machu Picchu and then come back for 5 days- enjoying the city and day trips into the mountains.

After those 5 days we took off again on a trek- Ausangate Trek- again returning to Cusco for 2 days before heading back home.

If you have even more time I sincerely believe you could fill months basing yourself in this city. It is a great city for nomads– with wonderful places to work, cheap food, international travelers to make friends with and endless outdoor landscapes and cultural wonders to explore.

READ MORE: Humantay Lake Day Trip

Cusco Expense Rating

Peru was wonderful to travel to from the United States as everything was much cheaper than back home! We were able to stay at beautiful hotels for $60 a night and you could easily find cheaper. The food was wonderful and extremely cheap as well.

The only thing that does tend to add up is different treks and heading to Machu Picchu. Those can get a bit pricey- but they are totally worth it!

Is Cusco Safe?

Safe

I found Cusco felt extremely safe- even as a small, white, blonde girl who stuck out like a sore thumb.

I felt comfortable walking around the city alone during the day and with a couple of pals at night. I would of course recommend to still use all of your street smarts!

Cusco, Peru Travel Guide: How To Get To Cusco, Peru ?

First Option: Fly There

The first and most common way to get to Cusco is to fly!

There are international flights arriving all the time in Cusco and it is by far the most convenient way to get into the city. Most flights will have a layover in Lima, Peru before transferring to Cusco

Second Option: Peru Hop!

Another way to get to Cusco is on the Peruhop bus!

This is a great option if you are traveling around other parts of Peru and want to connect them to Cusco. You can hop on in Lima and then make your way down the coast and over to Cusco.

This is a great option as it allows you to move up in elevation slower, giving your body more time to acclimatize.

The only downside is it is quite a long bus ride to Cusco from the other main cities and you will have to spend at least one night on the bus.

READ MORE: Explore Peru’s Secret Desert Oasis: Huacachina Peru

What To Bring To Cusco?

Since Cusco is so high up in the Andes mountains weather can change here quite quickly. What you pack will highly depend on what adventures you are planning on doing in and out of the city of Cusco.

As a general rule I would suggest bringing a variety of layers!

Cute dresses

Nice walking shoes

Jeans

T-shirts and blouses

Leggings

Sweaters

Fleece

Rain Jacket

Warm Jacket
Sunglasses

READ MORE: Check out the 5 Day Ausangate Trek we did while in Cusco!

Cusco Peru Travel Guide: Where To Stay In Cusco, Peru?

My Favorite Neighborhoods In Cusco:

Plaza De Armas and Centro Historico

This is the most central location of all neighborhoods, and the area where you will find the most touristy things to do.

It is easy walking distance from tons of restaurants, museums, bars. It lies on the Plaza de Armas which is the largest and most central of all the squares.

This is a great area if you don’t want to have to climb a ton of stairs to get to your accommodation.

Since Cusco is situated in an extremely hilly area, all of the other areas require climbing tons of stairs to get there.

On the downside this area can get quite loud at night and is definitely not the most peaceful.

San Blas

San Blas is the neighborhood in Cusco that we stayed in the entire time we were there!

I absolutely loved San Blas- it had the cutest cobblestone streets, so much character, gorgeous bars and cute coffee shops and felt really “artsy”

The downside of San Blas is definitely the fact that you have to climb a sh*t ton of stairs to get there.

Every time we left our hotel I knew it would be a climb back up. This came as a bit of a shock in the beginning but by the end it was much easier.

The roads here are also super narrow and a lot of times tour vans, and taxis weren’t able to get us all the way to our accommodation. This meant many times dragging all of our luggage over bumpy cobblestones.

Hotels In Cusco, Peru I Loved:

Kokopelli Hostel

My friend stayed at this hostel when she was waiting for us to get there! Her friend who had lived in Peru for 6 months recommended it to her and she loved it. This is located in the City Centre and is great if you are looking to meet younger travelers.

Atoq San Blas

We stayed at this hotel for the majority of our time in Cusco and it was absolutely lovely. They had an amazing complimentary breakfast, a beautiful central courtyard and the staff was wonderful.

Tariq Hotel

This was our first hotel we stayed at and it was absolutely gorgeous! We wanted to book it for the rest of our trip but sadly there werent any openings. Definitely a beautiful place to stay.

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Things To Do In Cusco Peru

Explore The Squares
Go Shopping
Take A Day Trip
Explore the Historical Ruins
And SO MUCH MORE!

There are so many things to do in Cusco Peru that I made an entire blog post dedicated to my 15 favorite things I did in Cusco, Peru!

MUST READ:15 Unique Things To Do In Cusco Peru

Cusco To Machu Picchu

To get to the famous Machu Picchu, you will first need to start in Cusco! Beginning here you can give yourself at least 3 days to acclimate to the elevation and then start your journey to Machu Picchu!

Depending on how adventurous you want to be you can either take the train from Cusco all the way up to Aguas Caliente (the town below Machu Picchu) or only part way and get off and begin the Inca Trail!

Generally, you will want to plan for at least one night in Aguas Caliente as the train ride itself is around 3 hours of travel.

Conclusion

Cusco, Peru is one of the most amazing cities I have ever visited. From the food to the cultural experiences that are embedded so deeply in this cities history.

I can’t wait for you to fall in love with Cusco, Peru just like I did.

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